Packed casing head



PACKED CASING HEAD Original Filed Jan. 5, 1927- 2 Sheets-Sheet y wmm MEFume emu? P $5. 0

Hi 7 w nwm, .7 mi 4 4 sfi u4 3 m y. 5 5 5w 3 9 9 r 60/ w 2% Dec. 17,1929. c. A. RASMUSSEN ET AL 1,739,802 I PACKED CASING HEAD OriginalFiled Jan. 5, 192'! 2 Sheets-Sfieet 2 I [M/F/VT'OES: (f/5725?AP/is/w/sszw, CHAFZFS A? Bani/9., I/V/LL/AM A. K 007;-

ml zw t Patented Dec. 17,1929

CHESTER A. RASMUSSEN AND CHARLES R; BUTLER, F LONG BEACH, AND WILLIAM A.

I TROUT, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA PACKED QASING HEAD Applicationfiled. January 5, 1927, Serial No. 159,067. Renewed March 12, 1928.

Our invention relates to oil well equipment and particularly to animproved casing head. In the oil producing industry casing-heads areemployed for closing the upper ends of the casing of the well. Veryoften a number, of concentric casings .are installed in a well, the

lower ends of these casings extending to clifferent depths. The upperends of the casings must be sealed, so as to prevent loss of gas.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved casing headadapted to seal the upper end of a plurality of casings in a Wellforming tight closures between them.

After the casing has been set in a well it is frequently necessary tovery quickly install the casing head and to form a seal at the upper endthereof so as to prevent a flow of gas from being established. If theflow of gas is once established it is very likely that the well will'getout of control and considerable gas pressure be dissipated. It is anobject of this invention to provide a casing head in which the packingmay be quickly installed so as to seal the upper end of the casing. I

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be made evidenthereinafter.

Referring to the drawing in which we illustrate a preferred form of ourinvention;

Fig. 1 is'a view illustrating the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the cats-- ing head of theinvention.

Fig. 3 is, a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a View illustrating rings of the packer of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a view illustrating the packing member of the packer of theinvention.

4 Fig. 7 is a perspective View illustrating inserts of the invention. 5

Referring to Fig. 1, 11 is a well in which a plurality of casings hasbeen installed, these casings being an outer casing 12, a medial casing13-Which extends through the outer casing 12 and an inner casing14:which extends through the medial casing 13. Attached to the utilityof the upper end of the casings is a casing head 16 of our invention.

Referring particularly to Fig. 2, the casing head 16 consists of a bodyhaving a lower section 18, an intermediate section 19, and an, uppersection 20. Attached to the upper end of the outer casing 12 is a'flange21. The lower section 18 is provided with a flange 22 which-is boltedagainst the flange 21 by bolts is engaged by an annular flange 32 of theintermediate section 19. The flanges and 32 are secured together bybolts 33, there being a gasket 34 provided between these flanges forobtaining a tight seal. The intermediate section 19 has an opening 36formed therethrough. The opening 36 has an enlarged portion 37 at thelower end thereof which connects to'the opening 26 of the lower section18. A portion 38 formed above the enlarged portion 37 is threaded, asshown. Formed immediately above the threaded portion 38 is an annularshoulder which provides an upper bevel annular seat 39. A. smoothcylindrical portion 40 of the'opening 37 rests immediately above theseat 39. The upper end of the opening 36 is enlarged and threaded asindicated at42.

The upper end of the intermediate section 19 is provided with a flange44 which is engaged by a flange 45 of the upper section 20. Theseflanges are secured together by bolts 46, there being a gasket 47provided for forming a tight seal. The upper section 20 is provided withan opening 48 which connects to the opening 36 of the'intermediatesection 19. Connected to the opening 48 is an opening 49-wl1ich isthreaded at its inner end, as shown. and which connects to the opening48. The opening 4-9 is formed in of the opening 26 1s I in diameter acylindrical progection 51 which is 'pro- Vided with external threads 52so that a pipe '53 (Fig. 1) may be attached to the casing head 16.

It should be noted that the openings26, 36 and 48 are all connectedtogether. These three openings cooperate to provide a chamber of thecasing head.

The medial casing 13 extends upward from the upper end of the outercasing 12 and ter minates in the enlarged portion 37 of the opening 36.The upper end of the medial casing 13 is threaded as indicated at 56,and a collar 57 is threadedly secured thereto. The collar 57 is providedwith internal threads 59 and external threads 60.

Placed in the cylindrical portion 28 of the opening 26sis a packer 62.The packer 62 consists of outer metallic rings 63 and a central rubberpacking member 64. As illustrated in Fig. 5 the metallic rings 63 aremade in two sections 65. As shown in Fig. 6 the rubber packing member 64is made in one piece but is split as indicated at 66. The purpose ofsplitting these parts is to make it possible to install them in place inthe cylindrical portion 28 of the opening 26 without being compelled toextend them over the end of the casing 13. It will be seen that thiscannot be done because of the collar 57. The lower metallic ring 63engages the seat- 27. Screwed into the upper threaded portion 29 a nut68. The nut 68 is provided with an opening 69 which is larger than thecylindrical portion 28 of the opening 26 and larger than the packer 62.This makes it possible to place the packer 62 in the cylindrical portion28 even though the nut 68 is in place. For the purpose of applyingpressure from the nuts 68 to the packer 62 we provide inserts 70, one ofwhich is shown in Fig. 7. Each of the inserts 7 0 consists of a shell71, the lower part of which is semi-cylindrical. The upper part of theshell 71 is cut back and curved outward and downward so as to provideengaging portions 72 whereby they may be I manually handled. At thelower semi-cylindrical part of each web 71 is a flange 72. It

72 is cut away at that the side of each flange 73. The lower parts ofthe shells 71 are slightly less than one-half a cylinder so that theymay be moved inward should be noted from the position shown in Fig.2into positions indicated bydotted lines 75. When in the positionindicated by dotted lines 75 the flange 72 is moved inward out of aposition below the nut 68. When the inserts are thus moved inward theymay be withdrawn from the upper end of the opening 26.

' In installing the packer 62, the nut is sub stantially in the positionshown in Fig. 2

h the nut 68 is larger than opening 69 throu e lowered into the cylinthepacker, may

.pling may by reason of the fact that the drical portion 28. It shouldbe understood that the two parts 65 of the lower ring 63 are firstlowered separately and placed around the medial casing 13, the packer 64is then placed, and finally the parts 65 of the'upper ring 63 areplaced. After this installation the inserts 70 are installed in a mannerreverse to that just described as to their removal. The nut 68 duringthe installation may be. about an eighth of an inch higher than thatshown in the drawing so that the flanges 72 may below the lower end ofthe nut 68. After the inserts have been placed, the nut 68 is screweddown. The nut 68 forces the inserts 7 0 down 2% reason of its engagementwith the flanges the peripheral part of the upper ring 63 and thus forceit downward. The lower ring 63 cannot move downward by reason of itsengagement with the seat 27; therefore, the rubber packing member 64 isexpanded out; ward into tight engagement with the wall of thecylindrical portion 28 and inward into tightengagement with the surfaceof the medial casing 13. It should be noted in Fig. 2 that the pressureof the nut against the flanges 72 tends to hold the outer faces of theshell 71 in engagement with the wall forming the opening 69 throughthenut 68. The inserts are thus held in proper position.

The inner casing 14 projects upward from the upper end of the medialcasing 13 and terminates in the opening 48 of the upper section 20.Attached tothe upper end of the inner casing 14 is a coupling 80. Thecoupling 80 is provided with external threads 81 and internal threads82. It should be noted that the coupling 80 is screwed into the threadedportion of the opening 49. This is accomplished in the following manner:

When it is desired to attach the coupling 80 to the upper section 20,all the parts of the casing head are assembled with the exception of theupper section 20. The cou- Fig. 2 or it may be in a lower position suchas that indicated by dotted lines 84 of Fig. 2. If it is in the positionindicated hydotted lines 84 it will be necessary to lift the entireupper end of the inner casing 14 upward. This is accomplished byscrewing a p1pe indicated by dotted lines 85 into threaded end 82 of thecoupling. The pipe 85 is attached to the traveling block of the derrickand lifted upward until the coupling 80 is moved into the position shownby dotted lines in Fig. 2. The upper section 20 which has been placedover the pipe 85 before it Was attached to the traveling block of thederrick is then lowered and screwed downward onto the external threads81 of the The lower ends of the inserts 70 engagebe in the positionshown in be easily moved into position the upper until the flange 45pressurally engages the flange 44 of the intermediate section 19. Theweight is then relieved from the traveling block and applied tothe uppersection 20. The bolts 46 are then installed in" place and the pipe 85 isremoved. After this assembly, the pipe 53 shown in Fig. 1 is installed.

The casing head of our invention may be installed in its entirety afterall three casings have been installed in the well or it may be installedin sections as the casings are installed. For'instance, after the outercasing 12 and the medial casing 13 have been installed it may bedesirable to form a tight seal between these casings before the innercasing 14 is installed. .This may be done by assembling the lowersection 18, the packer 62, the nut 68 and the inserts 7 0. After thecasing 14 has beeninstalled the sections 19 and 20 may be installed andthe coupling 80 secured to the section 20 as previously explained.

Any gas which collects in the upper end of the outer casing 12 'may bewithdrawn through an opening 88 formed in the flange 22 of the lowersection 18 which opening is connected to a take-olf pipe 89. Any gaswhich collects in the upper end of the medial casing 13 and in the upperpart of the chainber provided by the head may be withdrawn through anopening 90 formed in the flange of the upper section, which opening 90is connected to a gas take-off pipe 91.

One feature of the .type of packing employed for forming a seal aroundthe upper end of the medial casing13 is that it forms a tight'seal butpermits the upper end of the casing 13 to move upward. This is sometimesdesirable where the oil flowing from the well is hot. The hot oil causesthe pipe to expand and to compensate for this] expansion the upper endof the pipe may move upward. This same type of packing may be employedaround the upper end of the inner casing 14. It should be noted that theupper part of the intermediate section 19 is formed so that the samepacking element, nut and inserts may be used.

The casing head'is also so constructed that if desired the collar 57attached to the upper end of the medial casing 13 may be rigidlyattached to the intermediate section 19. This is accomplished in thesame manner as the attaching of the coupling 80 to the upper section 20is accomplished. This must be done before the upper section 20 isinstalled. A

' pipe is screwed into the threads 59 of the collar 57 and the upper endof the medial casing 13 is lifted upward. The intermediate section 19which has been placed around the lifting pipe is then rotated so thatthe threaded portion 38 advances downward on the thread 60 of thecollar. W hen the flange 32 of the intermediate section engages theflange 30 of the lower section 18 the weight themedial' casing 13 may bequickly installed in an emergency. 4 By using the insert it is notnecessary to have the nut 68 removed from the threaded opening 29 butthe nut may be alwayssubstantially in the position shown in thedrawings. When expanding the packing into fluid-tight relationship withthe easing- 13, it is only necessary to rotate the nut 68 a fewrevolutions.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a combination of the class described: an outer casing adapted toextend into a well; a body connected to the upper end of said outercasing, said body having a chamber connected to the interior of saidouter casing, and an opening connected to said chamber; a medial casingextended into said outer casing, the upper end of said medial casingterminat ing in said chamber, a packer placed'in said chamber around,said medial casing; a nut screwed into said chamber above said packer,said nut having an opening of larger diameter than said packer; insertsengaging said nut and said packer, saidpacker being com pressed by saidinserts, said inserts being 're' movable without entirely removing saidnut; an inner casing extended into said medial casing, the upper end ofsaid innercasing terminating in said chamber above said' medialcasingfand means for forming a seal between the interior of sand innercasmg and the interior of said medial casing, said inner casing beingcommunicated with said openterminating in said chamber; a packer placedin said chamber around said medial casing; a nut screwed into saldchamber above said packer, said nut having an'opening of larger diameterthan said packer; inserts engaging said nut and said packer, said packerbeing compressed by said inserts, said inserts being removable withoutentirely removing said nut; an inner casing extended into said medialcasing, the upper end of said inner casing terminating in said chamberabove said medial casing; and a coupling attached to said inner casingand said body for forming a seal between the interior of said innercasing and the interior of said medial casing, said lnner casing be ngcominu'nlc-ated with said opening. Y I

. said nut having an opening of larger diameter than said packer;inserts engaging said nut and said packer, said packer being compressedby said inserts, said inserts being removable without entirely removingsaid nut; an inner casing extended into said medial cas ing, the upperend of said. inner casing terminating in said chamber above said medialcasing; and a coupling attached to said inner casing and said body forsupporting said in-' ner casing and for forming a seal between theinterior of said inner casing and the interior of said medial casing,said inner casing being communicated with said opening.

4:. In a combination of the class described: an outer casing adapted toextend into a well; abody connected to the upper end of said outercasing and having a central packing receiving opening; a second casingwithin said outer casing having its upper end extended through saidopening;' a packing placed in said opening around said second casing; atubular nut screwed into said opening above said packing, said nuthaving a central bore of larger diameter than the outer periphery of thepacking whereby said packing may be removed through said bore; andinserts engaging'said packing and adapted to be engaged by said nut tocompresssaid packing and form a seal between said body and the secondcasing, said inserts being re-T movable through said bore of the nutwhen said nut is loosened sufficiently to eliminate its clampingpressure upon said inserts.

5. In a combination of the class described; an outer casing adapted toextend into a well; a casing head comprising a body having upperintermediate and lower sections, said lower section being connected tothe upper end of said outer casing, said upper and intermediate sectionshaving internally screwthreaded bores; a. second casing disposed withinsaid outer casing and extending up wardly within said body, said secondcasing having an externally screw-threaded upper end adapted to engagewithin said screwthreaded bore of said intermediate section to form aseal between the interiors of said outer and said'second casings, saidupper end of said second casing being internally screwthreaded forengagement by an elevator element; and a third casing disposed withinand extending upwardly through said second casinn and Drovided with anexternally screw- 1,7sasba threaded upper end adapted to engage withinthe screw-threaded bore of said upper section to form a seal between theinteriors of said second and said third casings, said upper end of thethird casing being internally screw-threaded for engagement by anelevator element.

6. In a combination of the class described: an outer casing adapted toextend into a well;

a casing head comprising intermediate, up-

per and lower sections, said lower section being connected to the upperend of said outer casing, said intermediate section having aninternallyscrew-threaded bore, said upper section having an internallyscrew-threaded outlet; at second casing disposed within said outercasing and extending upwardly within said intermediate section, saidsecond casing having an externally screw-threaded upper end adapted toengage within the internally screw-threaded bore of said intermediatesection to form a seal between the interiors of said outer and saidsecond casings, said upper end of said second casing. being internallyscrew-threaded for engagement by an elevator element; and a third casingdisposed within and'extending upwardly through said see- 0nd casing andprovided with an externally screw-threaded upper end adapted to engagethe screw-threaded outlet of said upper section to form a seal betweenthe interiors of said second and third casings, said upper end of saidthird casing being internally threadcd for engagement by an elevatorelement. In testimony whereof, We have hereunto set our hands at LosAngeles,California, this 31st day of December, 1926.

CHESTER A. RASMUSSEN. CHARLES R. BUTLER.

WILLIALI A. TROUT.

